Mountain RATS

Details

Mountain RATSEagle, COSeptember 7, 2019

Come celebrate fall in the mountains with a trail running challenge! An exciting day of festival fun and adventure on the trails near Eagle, Colorado. With the start/finish line right in the heart of Eagle’s new fall festival, Septemberfest, friends and family can enjoy themselves while you push yourself in the rugged mountain race. Afterwards, relax with a beer, hot meal, or just sit and listen to live music. Racers can choose from a Heavy Half, Marathon or 50K.

We also offer the Septemberfest 5K, a scenic, flat and fast paved course through Eagle. All ages and abilities are welcome; you can walk, jog, run or race. Same start/finish as our Mountain RATS trail runs – invite your family and friends to enjoy some miles around town while you explore the trails. Proceeds help benefit SOS Outreach.

In order to be environmentally friendly and cut down on the amount of trash we produce, we will not have cups at the aid stations. Please carry a water bottle, cup or hydration pack on the course.

Accommodations This year’s host hotel will be announced as soon as scheduled.

Start/Finish Area and ParkingColor Coffee Roasters (717 Sylvan Lake Rd) will host the packet pick-up. The start/finish line will be on the grass next to the store in the heart of the Septemberfest celebration. Your race number and packet will be available at this location Friday night and Saturday morning. Parking will be on the streets near the start/finish and surrounding the Septemberfest.

Finish Line All registered racers will get their choice of a free Bonfire Brewery beer or Color Coffee Roasters coffee. They will also get a discounted entry into the SeptemberFest event.

Weather Weather in Eagle can vary. The averages for September are a low of 42F and a high of 73F degrees.

Awards

Finisher’s mementos will be handed to you as you cross the finish line and awards will be given out at our Awards Ceremony (details TBD).

Don’t miss out on a chance to win raffle prizes and socialize with other runners.

Customized cowbell awards will be given to the top three male and female finishers in each race in each of the following age groups:

Under 20, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60+

Racers will receive customized dog tag finisher’s awards as they cross the finish line. Awards and mementos will not be mailed after the event.

Dogs We love dogs! Well-behaved dogs on leashes are welcome at the Start/Finish and aid stations. Unfortunately, we cannot allow dogs on course with their runners.

Medical There will be emergency vehicles throughout the event and all necessary materials to nurse any bumps, cuts, bruises, or blisters will be at the start/finish area. In addition, a certified Emergency Medical Technician will be in attendance. Aid stations will NOT have aspirin, ibuprofen or other NSAIDs.

Staying on Course Racers must stay on the designated course. Shortcutting will result in a disqualification. If you go off course, you must return to the same point you exited in order to continue.

Unforeseeable Circumstances In the case of unforeseeable circumstances due to weather or other extenuating circumstances that prevents the safe continuation of the race, race officials may end the race at any given time. This rule will be implemented in the most extreme cases for the safety of the runners or officials.

Local Laws Federal, State, and County laws and ordinances must be followed at all times.

Transfers & Cancellations There will be no entry transfers. If you regrettably need to cancel your registration, please use UltraSignup. Cancellations are given credit of their registration payment toward any Gemini Adventures event within one year’s time, minus a 15% fee. Login to your account, go to Registration History, Edit for the event, and Cancel Registration

Refund Policy

30 Days or more prior to the Event: 85% credit of registration fee (excluding UltraSignup fees).

Less than 30 days prior to the Event: No refunds or credit given.

Credits may be applied to any future Gemini Adventures race and will be valid for 12 months.

Registered runners may also switch between distances. No refunds or credit will be given for dropping down in distance. If stepping up in distance, the added current pricing of the longer distance will be charged (excluding Ultrasignup fees).

To request credits, log in to your UltraSignup account, and go to Registration History. Select Edit for the event, and scroll to the bottom of the page where Cancel Registration is linked. Follow the prompts.

All or part of this operation is conducted on Public Lands under special permit from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Course

The Mountain RATS courses will be challenging, beautiful, and almost 100% dirt.

Aid Stations

We will have nine aid stations located throughout the 50K course, six for the marathon and four for the half (at approximately five-mile intervals).

The Mountain RATS 50K starts in the heart of Eagle’s Septemberfest, next to Color Coffee Roasters. Racers begin by running 2 miles on the bike path along Eagle Ranch Road and Haystacker Drive, where a right turn onto the Turniphead Trail marks the start of dirt miles until the finish.

Just shy of a mile after turning onto dirt, runners encounter their first aid station, Arroyo, at mile 2.4. From Arroyo, the course continues steadily up, first on double track on Third Gulch Trail, then veering left onto singletrack on Pipeline Trail. Throughout this climb, runners travel from sage-covered high desert into beautiful aspen groves on the Pipeline Trail. 1300 vertical feet above Arroyo, runners reach aid station #2, Firebox, at mile 6.5.

Runners leave the aid station and continue uphill on Hardscrabble Road briefly to a hard right turn onto Firebox Road. After 2 miles trending up through forest and pastureland on Firebox Road, runners veer left onto singletrack and descend to Spring Creek. After veering left, the singletrack crosses the road again soon; watch closely and keep straight at this intersection. Once at Spring Creek, a left turn on Dead Cow Trail leads runners back uphill to aid station #3, Dead Cow, at mile 10.5.

A steep but short climb awaits runners as they leave the aid station on Mike’s Night Out. The course rewards with sweeping views as it continues on Mike’s Night Out, gently descending to aid station #4, Spring Creek, at mile 13.0. From the aid station, runners turn left and begin a 1.5-mile stretch of dirt road that again offers views northward across much of the trail system. This stretch begins with a gentle descent but soon climbs steeply over a saddle. Shortly after the saddle, runners leave the road with a slight right turn onto Easy Rider Trail.

A bit of climbing at the start of Easy Rider Trail leads to a cruisy 800-foot singletrack descent over 2.5 miles ending at aid station #4, Easy Rider at mile 17.5. Runners cross the road and continue on double track that eventually merges with Star Wars Trail, a fun singletrack descent. The descent ends abruptly with a right turn onto Pole Road, where the climbing begins again in earnest. Runners climb straight up the exposed Pole Road to its high point then turn right onto a short section of singletrack that joins the Hockett Gulch Trail. Here, runners enjoy a smooth descent to a right turn onto School House Rock Trail. Runners follow this short section of rolling trail into aid station #5, School House I, at mile 20.5.

Here, 50K runners part ways with marathoners and turn uphill and right onto Elmer’s Trail. Over the next 3.7 miles, runners veer left onto World’s Greatest Trail then right onto Scratch Trail, meanwhile netting 1100 feet of vertical gain (with some short, fun descents and wide open views in the mix). The course reaches Spring Creek Aid Station for a second time at mile 24.0.

Runners then venture onto familiar territory, following the same route they covered already between Spring Creek AS and School House Rock AS. The course passes through aid station #8, Easy Rider II, at 28.5 miles and reaches aid station #9, School House Rock II, at 31.5 miles.

From here, the fun isn’t quite over, as the course heads up one final 200-foot climb. From the top of this punchy climb, the trail makes a serpentine descent to the Horton Street Trailhead. Runners head down the neighborhood street and turn left onto the bike path. A short 0.4 miles along this path lead to the finish line and after party at Color Coffee Roasters.

Marathon

The Mountain RATS Marathon starts in the heart of Eagle’s Septemberfest, next to Color Coffee Roasters. Racers begin by running 2 miles on the bike path along Eagle Ranch Road and Haystacker Drive to access the Wall Trail, from which point the course remains on dirt until the finish. Runners climb gently along the Wall and Riddle Trails, enjoying views south toward the high peaks surrounding Sylvan Lake State Park, then gently descend the Mayer Gulch Trail.

The course takes a sharp left on the Turniphead Trail and soon begins the first sustained climb of the race. Half a mile into the climb, runners encounter their first aid station, Arroyo, at mile 6.2. From Arroyo, the course continues steadily up, first on double track on Third Gulch Trail, then veering left onto singletrack on Pipeline Trail. Throughout this climb, runners travel from sage-covered high desert into beautiful aspen groves on the Pipeline Trail. 1300 vertical feet above Arroyo, runners reach aid station #2, Firebox, at mile 10.3.

Runners leave the aid station and continue uphill on Hardscrabble Road briefly to a hard right turn onto Firebox Road. After 2 miles trending up through aspen forest and pastureland on Firebox Road, runners veer left onto singletrack and descend to Spring Creek. After veering left, the singletrack crosses the road again soon; watch closely and keep straight at this intersection. Once at Spring Creek, a left turn on Dead Cow Trail leads runners back uphill to aid station #3, Dead Cow, at mile 14.3.

A steep but short climb awaits runners as they leave the aid station on Mike’s Night Out. The course rewards with sweeping views as it continues on Mike’s Night Out, gently descending to aid station #4, Spring Creek, at mile 16.8. From the aid station, runners turn left and begin a 1.5-mile stretch of dirt road that again offers views northward across much of the trail system. This stretch begins with a gentle descent but soon climbs steeply over a saddle. Shortly after the saddle, runners leave the road with a slight right turn onto Easy Rider Trail.

A bit of climbing at the start of Easy Rider Trail leads to a cruisy 800-foot singletrack descent over 2.5 miles ending at aid station #5, Easy Rider at mile 21.3. Runners cross the road and continue on double track that eventually merges with Star Wars Trail, a fun singletrack descent. The descent ends abruptly with a right turn onto Pole Road, where the climbing begins again in earnest. Runners climb straight up the exposed Pole Road to its high point then turn right onto a short section of singletrack that joins the Hockett Gulch Trail. Here, runners enjoy a smooth descent to a right turn onto School House Rock Trail. Runners follow this short section of rolling trail into the final aid station, School House, at mile 24.3.

From here, the fun isn’t quite over, as the course heads up one final 200-foot climb. From the top of this punchy climb, the trail makes a serpentine descent to the Horton Street Trailhead. Runners head down the neighborhood street and turn left onto the bike path. A short 0.4 miles along this path lead to the finish line and after party at Color Coffee Roasters.

Heavy Half

The Mountain RATS Heavy Half Marathon starts in the heart of Eagle’s Septemberfest, next to Color Coffee Roasters. A short stretch on bike path and up Horton Street leads to singletrack on the School House Rock Trail. Upon accessing dirt, runners climb a quick 200 vertical feet over 0.7 miles, followed by a similar descent to aid station #1, School House, at mile 1.7.

A hard left turn onto Elmer’s Trail marks the start of the race’s longest climb of 4 miles and 1100 net vertical feet. This mostly steady climb offers occasional breaks of short, fun descents and wide open views. During this climb, runners veer left onto World’s Greatest Trail, right onto Scratch Trail and left onto Reynold’s Rap. The climb tops out at aid station #2, Spring Creek, at mile 5.2.

From the aid station, runners turn right and begin a 1.5-mile stretch of dirt road. This stretch begins with a gentle descent but soon climbs steeply over a saddle. Shortly after the saddle, runners leave the road with a slight right turn onto Easy Rider Trail.

A bit of climbing at the start of Easy Rider Trail leads to a cruisy 800-foot singletrack descent over 2.5 miles ending at aid station #3, Easy Rider at mile 9.7. Runners cross the road and continue on double track that eventually merges with Star Wars Trail, a fun singletrack descent. The descent ends abruptly with a right turn onto Pole Road, where the climbing begins again in earnest. Runners climb straight up the exposed Pole Road to its high point then turn right onto a short section of singletrack that joins the Hockett Gulch Trail. Here, runners enjoy a smooth descent to a right turn onto School House Rock Trail. Runners follow this short section of rolling trail into the final aid station, School House II, at mile 12.7.

From here, the fun isn’t quite over, as the course heads up one final 200-foot climb. From the top of this punchy climb, the trail makes a serpentine descent to the Horton Street Trailhead. Runners head down the neighborhood street and turn left onto the bike path. A short 0.4 miles along this path lead to the finish line and after party at Color Coffee Roasters.